Canadian HR Reporter

CANADIAN HR REPORTER JANUARY 2018 14 FEATURES/EMPLOYMENT LAW RECRUITMENT Not attracting the right talent? Try coffee, clarity and podcasts Five ways employers can convert lifeless job postings into lively job ads By Shahid Wazed T alent acquisition profes- sionals often miss the fact that they always need to sell their jobs to the right talent. With the advancement of the applicant tracking system (ATS), recruiters came to believe recruit- ing was about ranking applicants within the ATS and then forward- ing the top ones to the hiring manager. But that is only half of the equa- tion, and that only yields great re- sults when people do the upfront work of letting top candidates know about the position they're recruiting for. Since the current recruiting model is reactive — meaning employers often need to fill a role within two weeks — job postings become even more important for pulling in top candidates within a very short period of time. So, how can this be done? These five steps can convert lifeless job postings into lively job ads that sell not only a position, but also a hiring manager and company to top candidates: Have the right mindset Until recruiters ditch the idea that they're doing a favour by offering jobs to candidates, they will never be able to attract top candidates. It's actually the other way around — top candidates do em- ployers a favour when they decide to come work for them instead of the competition. Since employers often don't ex- ert any extra effort to attract top candidates, they unfortunately don't have a "selling" mindset. And because of that, they care less about online job postings. ey fail to realize that they ei- ther make or break their first im- pression through job postings. So it's about treating job postings as the first place to make an impres- sion in the marketplace. Be clear A good majority of online job postings are vague and, as a result, they attract hundreds of unquali- fied applicants. So, when you're writing up the next job posting, always think about the audience you're writing for. Job postings aren't the place for employer branding — it's too late at that point — so don't start the postings with a long paragraph about the employer. Instead, use short sentences to convey your message and describe the position in detail to ensure it's clear to potential candidates. Consider coffee There's really no other way to understand what top candidates really want out of their next job without meeting them one-on- one. Try to meet at least 25 poten- tial high-quality recruits who are at the top of their field right now. Ask them out for coffee, but be ready for rejection — that's just part of the game, nothing good comes without an effort. Once you have met with all the top candidates, gather data from them, such as: why they're pas- sionate about their field, interest- ing challenges they're working on right now, and what they look for when thinking about their next step. Once you have this information collected, you'll be able to create a road map on how to attract top candidates to your positions. Make it short, sweet While the average candidate might have all the time in the world to read lengthy and vague job postings, unfortunately, that won't attract top candidates. Writing short and compelling copy is like any other craft that requires training and investment to be successful. Copywriting is a skill that can provide an edge over the competition when the right content is conveyed to top can- didates so they happily click that "Apply" button without you trying to convince them for weeks. Try using podcasts Hiring manager audio podcasts was a revolutionary idea that helped the City of Edmonton hu- manize its job postings. Podcasts allow employers to put critical information upfront — such as interesting challenges a new hire would need to solve and the leadership style of a hir- ing manager. Podcasts can help top can- didates decide if a role is right for them, without having to go through the whole application process. Last but not least, recruiters can create a strong relationship with hiring managers in recording their audio podcasts, and that can go a long way in helping attract the right talent to open positions. Job postings are essentially job ads that should pull top candi- dates in. When job ads are written with the right audience in mind, the length becomes shorter, while the copy conveys a clear message that resonates with the right audi- ence — top talent. Embedding hiring manager audio podcasts into text job post- ings gives life to job ads that are sure to attract the right talent and take an organization to the next level. Shahid Wazed leads the talent sourcing function at the City of Edmonton and also hosts the an- nual conference Top Talent Sum- mit. For more information, visit www.toptalentsummit.com. months' working notice, at the time McLeod was not capable of working. As a result, he was entitled to damages equal to the salary he would have earned had he worked during the notice period. e court found that McLeod was on an agreed medical leave of absence when he received the termination notice and this didn't change. He provided medical informa- tion on his status and updated the store when his return-to-work date changed. In addition, the court noted that when McLeod provided the requested additional information, the store didn't follow through on its threat to terminate him, so the information must have satisfied store management. As a result, the store contradict- ed itself when it argued McLeod should have returned to work on March 15, as it had accepted the updated medical information that changed the date to July, said the court. It considered McLeod's age (43 years old at the time of termina- tion), his lack of special training or qualifications, and his 18 years of service, and determined he was entitled to 12 months' notice of termination. It also noted that McLeod returned to work in late July — even though the store was about to close down — because he was following his medical advice. Un- til he was able to return to work, he couldn't be expected to look for new employment, said the court, and once he did, he found work within three months — reasonable efforts to mitigate his damages. e court ordered the store to pay McLeod an amount equal to nine months' pay from his notice of termination on Jan. 31, 2016, to when he started new employment at the end of October 2016 — an amount McLeod calculated in his claim to be $27,036. For more information, see: • McLeod v. 1274458 Ontario Inc., 2017 CarswellOnt 11983 (Ont. S.C.J.). Jeffrey Smith is the editor of Ca- nadian Employment Law To- day. For more information, visit www.employmentlawtoday.com. Age considered TERMINATION < pg. 5 Credit: Arina P Habich (Shutterstock) CONGRATULATIONS © 2017 Thomson Reuters Canada Limited 00249LA-90672-NP Jamie Knight Employment Lawyer of the Year Congratulations to veteran labour lawyer Jamie Knight on winning the prestigious 2017 National HR Awards – Employment Lawyer of the Year. Jamie has almost 35 years of experience working with his clients to improve the effectiveness of their human resources relationships. He represents employers in all aspects of dealing with both unionized and non-unionized employees. His practice features wrongful dismissal, human rights, health and safety, privacy, labour board hearings, collective bargaining, and labour arbitrations. He is an author or co-author of some 20 publications, almost all in multiple editions. Jamie is a teacher, frequent speaker, and proactive advocate for workplaces that work. Please visit store.thomsonreuters.ca today to order your copy, or call 1-800-387-5164 or 416-609-3800 (Toronto or international), and press Option 1. Call now for your 2018 editions of Jamie's Quick Reference titles!

• Cover